The Jena March for Justice: My Experience and Perspective

It was a long night on the bus, 10 hours from Nashville to Jena with the stops. Not so comfortable seating didn't allow for much sleep.

We got off the state route in Louisiana and then had to make a 25 minute trek through other small towns, through the back woods, to get to Jean, population 3,000.

We arrived in front of the courthouse around 6:15 while it was still dark. By the time we moved into position to get out, the sun was coming up.

I went down wearing my black t-shirt with the famous picture of Huey P. Newtown and Bobby Seals standing in front of the Black Panther office's storefront window, that reads "Homeland Security, Protecting the Hood from Terrorism Since 1966". I thought it was fitting as we were going down to Jena to protest domestic terrorism.

I had to cram myself into the tiny bus bathroom to clean my upper body with some wet wipes, spray on some Right Guard, and change into my Support Jena 6 t-shirt that all of us from Nashville wore.

We got out to see a couple of thousand on the lawn of the courthouse, out into the street, and all around. The speakers hadn't started yet, but once they did, strong words would come from the podium from a Nation of Islam representative, Al Sharpton, MLK III, and a couple of others. The numbers would swell over the next couple of ours. Though I fought through the crowds, I could only get close enough to were I could just see the top of brother Al's and other speakers heads.

Others moved through the crowd giving their messages. A group from St. Louis lead by Afuma Muhammad drew great attention with there megaphone and powerful display. One brother was dressed in KKK white sheets and hood, with face showing, as he carried a dummy of a black man with a noose around his neck wearing a t-shirt that read in part, "U.S. History". Others carried nooses around necks of stuff dog dolls, as Muhammad proclaimed, "this is what America cares about. They care more about their dogs than Black people"; which coincidently coincides with a post I wrote at www.BlackPerspective.net ("Niggers Are Less Than Dogs In 2007")* two days before.

Another group giving a message was one of 6 or 7 from the new Black Panther party, with a megaphone as well; lead by a Sister in combat boots, black fatigues and a beret

By the time the speaking was done, about 8:30, and the march began - from the court house, to the school, in a circle through a park and snaking through various neighborhoods, back to the school and then the courthouse again; it seemed that people were coming from everywhere.

As we went down hill, going down that first street, it seemed to be a beautiful, waving sea of Black (both people and t-shirts). You looked as far as you could see ahead of you, and you looked behind you, and it seemed like people just kept coming, like a waterfall of justice marchers.

We chanted the liberation sayings of old, such as "No justice, no Peace", "Free Mychael Bell", "what do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now.", and more.

The Red Cross was there with two delivery size trucks; handing out free, cold water and Gatorade. We mused that this must be the water that never made it down to the Gulf Coast after Katrina. Jokes aside though, it was an appreciated move as the sun bore down during our long walk.

At the school the second time around, when we'd circle back; people began to fan out across the school yard where it all began; seeking shelter from the sun or just stopping to rest and regroup with those they came with. Many went to the spot where the tree had been. That it was cut down more than a month ago was not news to those who'd been pretty closely following the case, but that they'd also uprooted the stump was. Very odd, I thought. It appeared to myself and those that I spoke to that Jena was trying to wash the problem out of site, and hide it from so that it would not have to be dealt with. Primarily, I'm speaking of the race issue.

It also seemed like another crime had been committed in that school yard - the crime of actually sending kids to learn in that glorified, dilapidated shack, and calling it a school. Even the back lawn was torn up. It looked like a construction site, but no construction was going on there.

On our way back to the courthouse where we would reload buses, to head to Alexandria for the post march festivities; I came by a conversation being had with marchers and a reporter with a white Jena resident on her lawn. I'm not even bothering to give her name or going much into the convo, because once she claimed that Reed Walters wasn't threatening the Black Students by saying he would "end their lives with a stroke of pen"; but was trying to give them a helpful warning; I was done acknowledging her, and kept it moving.

I then came upon a conversation happening with some Black Jena residents, one named Dee Dee Hunter. She notified us that the stories being floated in the press that a bunch of blacks were called for jury duty and none of them showed "is a lie". There were only 3 called and none of them could serve because "they were all kin to the defendants". She then pointed out that the 7 year old little boy with her was the little brother of Jena 6 defendant Carwin Jones.

Arriving back at the courthouse we were treated to the sounds of a small, New Orleans style street band of horns and drums playing across the street from the court house. Folks gathered around were engaged what I believe would be considered Second Lining** and other spontaneous dance. They would stop the music, hold up their horns and lead the crowd in a repetitive, melodic chant of "let's go gett'em"; to the drum beat, and then go back to playing the horns. They did this back and forth for awhile and then took the show on the road, by marching out to the street. A marcher with a big smile on her face exclaimed, "I'm from New York, I'm not used to this; but I could get used to this".

As it was nearing 11 and many were boarding buses to begin to leave Jena, Jesse Jackson arrived late to the party and was speaking from the podium at the court house. He was still speaking last I knew when I got on the bus, but I would see later on t.v. that he then apparently lead another marcher. Just like Jesse the last 25 years, always late to the show. If it wasn't for bloggers keeping this story alive for months, it would have never made it to Black radio, and then to the mass public.

A black realtor from another Louisiana town had a PA system set up and was taking up money on another side of the court house. He had a headset microphone, as he and his friends moved through the crowd with baskets to collect money for Mychael Bell's bail. At the time I moved to donate, they already had 16,000; for the 10,000 bail. He did note this. He then proclaimed "Mychael Bell will be free tomorrow y'all". Logic would dictate that he was right, but Judge J.P. Maffray and the crooked Louisiana legal system dictated otherwise. As I present this for publication on September 25^th, Bell is still locked up for some inexplicable reason. Read my conversation with one of his lawyers yesterday.

We then made what is normally a 40 minute drive to Alexandria Louisiana where Michael Baisden, the other lead coordinator of the even with Al Sharpton; was hosting his live radio show in the town square amphitheatre. You can read what happen with nooses later that night, here: http://www.blackperspective.net/index.php/more-nooses-in-louisiana/

All and all it was a wonderful day, and one to remember. I'll have more reflections later.

* http://www.blackperspective.net/index.php/niggers-are-less-than-dogs-in-2007
** http://www.nojazzclub.com/the_second_line.htm